A Trip to the Theatre
by BlueBoxCompanion
Summary: Marcia decides that she should finally accept Milo's invitation to the theatre but the show was a little scarier than she'd bargained for. Marcia suffers from flashbacks to a time she'd much rather forget and Milo makes it his mission to comfort her. MILO/MARCIA fluffiness. Spoilers for Fyre.


Marcia set two cups of coffee down on her table and slipped into a chair. Dandra grateful took her cup and sipped, watching as Marcia frowned into her drink. 'Something not good?' she asked, leaning forward ever so slightly.

Marcia frowned harder at her cup and for a moment the kettle began to think it had done something wrong. Then she said 'It's Milo,' and the kettle breathed a sigh of relief. A knowing smile lit up Dandra's features. 'Tell me,' she said.

Marcia didn't look up from her cup. 'I've received another message from him. A letter, it's an invitation to go to the theatre with him. I did go to a show a few weeks ago but...' her voice trailed off and she sighed. 'But _what_, Madam Marcia?' Dandra asked, thinking she already knew the answer.

'I'm too busy!' Marcia exclaimed. 'I have Septimus' apprenticeship to worry about and I'm ExtraOrdinary Wizard! I don't have time for a re-.' She stopped herself before she could say another word. Nobody needed to know about her crush on Milo. Not even Dandra. 'Too busy for relationship with Mr Milo?' Dandra smirked. 'If I'm allowed to say, I think you should let him know how you feel. How you say..."open up?"'

Marcia looked up at Dandra and saw the look on her face. Maybe she was right; after all, Dandra hadn't failed her before. 'Take the invitation, Madam Marcia. It will be good for you,' insisted her coffee companion.

Marcia nodded. 'Yes. You're right, Dandra. Thank you.'  
Dandra beamed, clearly pleased with herself. 'You're welcome, Madam Marcia,' she said.  
'Please, just call me Marcia.'  
'Marcia.' Dandra had never been this close to someone of high status and found being on first name base with the ExtraOrdinary Wizard to be a great honour.

For the first time in a few exhausting days, Marcia smiled a genuine smile and the two enjoyed their coffee together.

Milo always enjoyed taking Marcia to the theatre in the Ramblings. She didn't know it, but she became so engrossed in the stories that for a long time afterwards it was all she would talk about. He enjoyed seeing this other side to the bossy, haughty ExtraOrdinary Wizard.

Tonight he was taking her to see "a tale of adventure, romance and thrill" (as the brochure boldly proclaimed) that he was sure she would enjoy. They settled quickly into their seats towards the back and the crowd drew in a collective breath as the magykal lights dimmed.

The first half of the show passed them by with the occasional chuckle from Milo and smile from Marcia, and things were running smoothly, not a single awkward moment had passed between them and for that Milo was proud.

Then the second act opened and things went downhill quickly. The "thrill" of the show was a little more than they'd bargained for. A cardboard moon drifted down out of the roof and the lights took on a different hue.

Under the deep blue stage lights of the Ramblings Little Theatre Milo's eyes became shadows, his features distorted. Marcia tried very hard not to look frightened, but it wasn't working. She found herself flashing back to their time in the moving chamber on their way to destroy the ring wizards and gripped the arms of her chair so hard her knuckles whitened. She tried to push the thoughts the back of her mind but they just wouldn't leave. She could almost feel the floor dropping beneath her in the diagonal pull once more and her heart leapt into her chest.

In her mind the memory was so vivid she could feel the heat of Fyre on her face, the stress of protecting Jenna washing over her like a wave, she had to protect the Princess, Milo's daughter. Marcia remembered the exhaustion and began to slump in her seat, her head started pounding and her vision blurred.

She gasped like she'd been doused in cold water and sat up ramrod straight.

Milo looked at her worriedly and gently took her by the hand. She blinked herself back to reality and was rather annoyed with the tears that rolled down her cheek. 'Marcia,' he said. 'It's not even up to the scary part yet, what's the matter?'

The blue lights had been replaced with a single spotlight on stage, plunging the audience into darkness. 'Nothing,' she murmured. 'I'm fine.' Wiping her face with her sleeve, she slipped into her mask of bravery and stared at the stage. The Fyre incident was two months ago. It was over. She was safe.

Milo let go of her hand with a sigh and mimicked her movements. A tall figure clothed in shimmering green cloth leapt into the spotlight with a growl, making half the audience laugh and half of them jump with fright. Marcia grabbed Milo's arm and squeezed her eyes shut. '_This isn't happening, it's a play. Only a play. Jenna's safe, I'm safe_ _and that is an actor in cheap cloth,_' she thought to herself. But the thought of the Ring Wizards advancing on her and The Princess kept coming back to her and she couldn't shake it. 'Suddenly not fine,' she whispered.

Understanding dawned on Milo. 'It's okay,' he whispered. 'That's all over now, Marce.' He took her by the hand and squeezed it, hoping that he was comforting the woman. Her eyes opened wide and she shuddered, letting out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding. A few people began to peer at them through the dark and Milo caught their eyes. 'We can leave if you want,' he said in a low voice.

Marcia nodded, and still gripping Milo's hand like I life saver, they edged their way out of the theatre and into the Ramblings. It was late at night so the corridor was empty. Milo started down the hallway and their hands slipped apart. It was only then that Marcia realised they were even joined. He turned back to see her gazing at her hand in surprise and allowed himself a smile. 'Coming?' he asked gently.

She shook herself out of her reverie and nodded yes. She took steady steps towards him and they walked the rest of the way along the Ramblings corridor in silence. The _tippy-tap_ of Marcia's shoes matching the _thud-thunk_ of Milo's.

It was only when they stepped out into the cool night air of Wizard Way that Marcia spoke. 'Back in the theatre,' she started.

Milo's heart jumped, 'What about it?' he said nervously.

'You called me Marce,' she continued, trying to contain the shake in her voice.

'Yeah, I guess I did.' Milo said, still not sure where this was going.

_'Why?'_

He turned to look at Marcia in the moonlight and could barely contain himself. The moon softened her features, smoothed the lines in her face and shined in her dark hair. What struck him most was the look in her eyes. Was she sad? He had to fight very hard to refrain from brushing a strand of hair away from her face. She was _beautiful_ when she wasn't mad. Milo reflected that she was pretty even when she was yelling, but nobody needed to know about his little crush on Marcia. Not even her.

'I wanted to make you feel better,' he replied honestly.

Marcia wasn't sure how to respond. Did he...did he care? Really care about her? 'Nobody's called me that for a very long time'. She raised her chin and looked him right in the eyes; she would not show him weakness. She thought she'd done enough of that earlier. Milo was struck with the sense that there was so little he knew about this woman, and so much more that he wanted to know.

He had the notion that Marcia was exhausted, and still in shock; she wouldn't reveal anything like this to him under normal circumstances. That being said, there never seemed to be anything "normal" about her.

'Oh,' was all that he could manage. _Milo, you idiot. Say something better than 'oh'! _But he couldn't.

'Thank you,' she said seriously.

Milo smiled that goofy smile that she loved to see and he linked his arm through hers. Her back stiffened and she raised an eyebrow at him as if to say '_what do you think you're doing?_' But Milo kept on confidently and eventually she relaxed as they shuffled their way up to the Wizard Tower.

When they arrived at the huge double doors Milo forced her to make eye contact. 'Are you sure you'll be okay?' he asked. Marcia tried to smile reassuringly. The flashback was fading, Milo was at her doorstep still holding her arm and she was at the safest place she could think of. 'Yes,' her voice came out strangled. She coughed. 'Yes. Thank you again, Milo.' Marcia contemplated inviting him up for tea but in the end she decided she'd had quite enough talk for one night. Turning nonchalantly to say the password, she wondered what Dandra would think of her efforts in opening up.

Milo glanced at his timepiece. 10:30. 'I'll, ah, walk you up to your rooms.' He followed Marcia inside and stood behind her on the spiral staircase. It was on night mode so up and up they went, slowly revolving past the other levels until they arrived at her purple door. 'I could've walked myself up here, you know,' she said.

Milo thought he'd done something wrong but then her mouth twisted into a bemused smile. '_She really doesn't smile enough_,' he thought.

Upon her arrival the door swung open, eager to please. The door found it interesting that the muscled sailor was there again. He'd have to tell the windows about this later, because unbeknownst to Marcia, her furniture quite enjoyed gossiping about her life.

He leaned casually against the door post and said 'I know. Goodnight, Marcia. I'll see you soon?' Milo tried not to sound too hopeful. Holding the door handle she looked back at him and said 'Yes. I believe you will be seeing me again...soon.'

The door closed behind her with a _clunk _and Milo let out a sigh. The evening hadn't gone according to plan, but it hadn't been a total failure.

Back in her rooms, Marcia collapsed onto her bed, not caring that she was still in her cloak and boots. Her emotions might as well have been attacking her with Milo shaped weapons. She didn't know what to think or what to do. The night replayed in her mind from the moment they'd met on Wizard Way to when he said goodbye at her door. All in all, she thought it had gone okay. It wasn't the worst outing they'd had. It wasn't the best either but that couldn't be helped. Marcia resolved to check the brochures of the shows they were seeing before they walked in to avoid any more flashback incidents. She took a deep breath, then another, and another until she was calm. And then she fell asleep.

For the first time in weeks she didn't dream of the Ring Wizards or the Darke Domain. She slept on peacefully until the sun came up to greet her through the windows and she realised just how thankful she was for Mr Milo Banda.

* * *

**So this is the first thing I've written in a while. Of course it had to be Marcia and Milo, my brand new shiny OTP. Anyways, thanks for reading and please do review. I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**Blue x**

**Disclaimer: All rights go to Angie Sage. I only own my little plot idea.**


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